AI Overview: It is the cheapest list in this batch. Hog Rider had no 2026 change, and Bandit’s best list wins 72.1%. Freeze lasts 3.5 seconds instead of 4, and The Log and Zap lost tower damage, so the old timing needs a little care.
Last Updated: October 2026
Key Points:
- The deck costs 19 elixir, which is 2.4 on average, and no card costs more than 4.
- Hog Rider had no 2026 change, and his best list wins 61.2% over about 3,800 battles.
- Bandit had no 2026 change, and her best list wins 72.1% over about 1,100 battles.
- Freeze lost duration (4 to 3.5 seconds) on September 8 and tower damage (45 to 37) on June 1, and its best list wins 72.3%.
- Fire Spirit’s damage rose from 207 to 215 on September 16, and Goblins were reworked on August 4.
The Hog Freeze Cycle List, Priced Card by Card
The Hog is the tower destroyer, opponents often panic and use many counters in one spot, and that is the moment for an easy Freeze.
| Card | Elixir | Job in the deck | 2026 status |
| Hog Rider | 4 | Win condition, tower destroyer | No 2026 change; best list 61.2% over about 3,800 |
| Bandit | 3 | Dash chip and second pressure card | No 2026 change; best list 72.1% over about 1,100 |
| The Log | 2 | Ground swarm spell | Crown Tower damage 41 to 35 on June 1; best list 65.1% over 3,500 |
| Zap | 2 | Cheap reset spell | Crown Tower damage 58 to 48 on June 1; Evo Zap 77.0% over about 1,000 |
| Freeze | 4 | Takes a tower with the Hog, also defends | Duration 4 to 3.5 seconds on September 8, tower damage 45 to 37 on June 1; best list 72.3% over 792 |
| Goblins | 2 | DPS partner for the Hog and Freeze | Rework on August 4; best list 59.9% over 504 |
| Fire Spirit | 1 | Burst unit that clears the way | Hitpoints 230 to 215 (Aug 4), damage 207 to 215 (Sep 16); best list 62.9% over 707 |
| Ice Spirit | 1 | Cycle card and temporizer | Hitpoints 230 to 215 on August 4; every printed list 56.7% or more |
The table prices the cards and shows how each looks in October 2026.
A Freeze that lasts half a second less changes the whole timing of this deck. The negative effect: use Freeze not too early and not too late, and with the shorter window, a small timing error costs more than it used to, especially with a teammate who cannot help.
What Changed in 2026
Freeze is the card that changed. It lasts 3.5 seconds now and hits towers for 37, but its best list wins 72.3% and four of eight printed lists are above 50%. Freeze works well with Goblins that destroy the frozen units and towers, and that is still the right pairing.
Claims, rechecked. The Hog Rider can avoid buildings and kite, and that opponents will panic when they see him. The first claim is about how the card works and has not changed. The panic claim is about opponents and cannot be rechecked on this site.
The rest is steady. Hog Rider and Bandit had no 2026 patch. The Log hits a tower for 35 and Zap for 48. Fire Spirit hits for 215 instead of 207 but has less health. Ice Spirit lists all win 56.7% or more. Goblins had a rework in August and a best list of 59.9%.
Card pages: Hog Rider, Bandit and Freeze.
A 2v2 deck depends on a partner. The negative effect: a very cheap deck with no big spell leaves the team short on heavy answers, so one weak link can cost the match.
How to Play It Today
Here’s the thing: the Hog can kite and avoid buildings. If a Knight is coming on your side, send a lone Hog so the Knight focuses on him while he jumps, and the tower hits the Knight for longer. The deck cycles fast, so Hogs can be spammed, giving many chances to Freeze correctly.
Tips. You can pig push to avoid buildings, split push, or kite with the Hog. The Ice Spirit is a great temporizing unit. Fire Spirits are burst units that clean the way for the Hog, and sometimes the opponent lets them reach the tower, which is a big risk because of the damage they do.
Translation: wait for the enemy to place their counters, then Freeze them. In defense it is the same, and Freeze also makes it easier to place the spirits. Goblins shred low-health units like Musketeers and Wizards, and Fire Spirits clear swarms and Barbarians with Zap. The Ice Spirit temporizes the Hog push.
Elixir math: the Hog Rider and Freeze take 8 of the 19 elixir. The other six cost 11, less than 2 each on average, which is why you can play the Hog again and again.
Try it yourself: pull Hog Bandit Freeze Deck into the Clash Royale Deck Builder and play with the numbers. It averages 2.4 elixir. It is a classic list rather than a tracked one, which means no 2026 win rate.
You can send Goblins or Fire Spirits alone if their level beats the opponent’s towers. The negative effect: that level trick belongs to an old system, and a modern player who tries it may only waste elixir.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hog Bandit Freeze good in 2026?
Hog Rider’s best list wins 61.2%, Bandit’s wins 72.1% and Freeze’s wins 72.3%, but this exact list has no tracker sample, so time each Freeze carefully.
How much elixir does the deck average?
2.4 elixir per card on average (19 in total).
Did Freeze change?
Yes. Its duration fell from 4 to 3.5 seconds on September 8, and tower damage from 45 to 37 on June 1.
When should Freeze be used?
Not too early and not too late, and after the opponent places their counters.
Is this deck only for 2v2?
Original Guide, Kept in Full
The text below is the original page, kept in full. It was written between 2016 and 2024, so some details are out of date. The tips and numbers above use 2026 sources.
Hi; It’s PeakCell, and I still love 2v2. Since 2v2 started being permanent, I created a deck that I just can’t stop using.
It is a ton of fun, and can very often turn bad games to good ones, based on surprising your opponents and outplaying them.
Deck List and Roles
Hog Rider: Your win condition.
He can kite and avoid buildings. He’s the Tower destroyer, opponents will often panic when seeing him and use a lot of counters at the same time and in the same spot, allowing for an easy Freeze spell.
This deck has a fast cycle, making the hogs spamable, allowing for many great occasions to Freeze correctly.
Of course, you can also pig push to avoid buildings, try to split push, and kite with the Hog (Like, if a Knight is coming on your side of the map, you can counter him by sending a lone Hog who will take his focus while jumping, letting the Tower hit the Knight for a longer time without being hit by him)
Freeze Spell: What you need to take a Tower easily with your win condition.
Also spamable, this spell will be a great tool to take a Tower, but ALSO to defend.
ou have to use it right tho: Not too early, not too late, and in the good spot.
Wait for your enemies to place their counters, then Freeze them. The Freeze spell synergizes very well with Goblins, who will destroy the frozen units/towers. In defense, it’s the same but it also allows an easier spirits placement.
Goblins: DPS units pairing well with the Hog Rider, and the Freeze spell.
They are very strong, both on offense and defense. Their DPS will shred low-health units like Musketeers, wizards etc. Not much to say about them except that tho.
If their level is higher than your opponents’ Tower levels, you can sometimes send them alone, forcing a reaction.
Fire Spirits: Burst units that will clean the way for the Hog Rider.
They counter swarms, Goblins, Barbarians (with Zap) etc.
Same as Goblins: You can force a reaction by sending them alone if their level is greater than your opponents’ towers’ level.
Sometimes, your opponent will let them reach the Tower to defend easier against the Hog Rider, taking a huge risk because of the damages they do.
Ice Spirit: Cycle card and temporizing Hog Rider support.
Great temporizing unit, the Ice Spirit is great for landing easier Freeze spells. It also helps cycling faster, and is a great support card overall.
Bandit: Burst unit and good defensive unit too.
She has a good burst which makes her good for destroying low health cards, which makes her great as a defensive card, but also as a counter-attacking one.
She often reaches the Tower because of her surprizing dash damages.
A Freeze spell can help her a lot, finishing a unit she dashed on, to dash on another one etc.
Log: Anti-swarm spell, and a great defensive/temporizing spell.
The Log also buys time for a great Freeze spell. It is mainly a defensive card in this deck tho, because when paired with spirits it can counter a lot of things pretty easily.
Zap: The card that does so many things. Usually used against air units.
Helps to finish things easier (like a Cannon or Tombstone), or to kill swarms. Also, it makes it easy for your team to counter Inferno Towers.
What’s the point of this deck?
2v2 is really not about having a great 1v1 deck, but more about pairing with your team mate.
If you check this deck’s composition, you’ll find cards that synergize with a lot of others; but you’ll also find the deck has a powerful offensive potential by itself.
Yeah, the deck is designed to be able to help a mate but also to win by itself. That’s why it is strong in 2v2!
The attacking goal of this deck is to get a Hog on your opponent Tower and then Freeze it; as a simple Hog Freeze deck.
Goblins, spirits and the Bandit will help you reach the Tower; Then you need to have a teammate who has a minimum of skill to help you reach the Tower.
Also, you will need a good timing skill to make the best of the Freeze spell, effectively freezing the Tower AND the Hog counters your opponents deployed.
Try to only use the Freeze spell when it is useful, because it is an 8 overall elixir investment with no damages to units, making you being very vulnerable for a big counter push.
Usually, people who play 2v2 tend to play a complete deck, so you don’t have to worry too much about the lack of anti-tank in this deck. It should still be fine. It will only be a problem in certain cases, like if you encounter a Golem + Balloon push. Here, your ally shouldn’t be able to handle the whole thing by themselves.
Strengths
- Synergizes with a lot of things, because of its very versatile comp based on low-cost cards.
- Can answer many situations by itself for the same reason.
- Has a powerful counter-attacking potential because of the Hog+Freeze combo.
- Is extremely fun overall because of its mechanics.
Flaws
- Needs a good mastery of the Freeze timing. Fails can loose you a game so you really need to always make the good choice at the right moment.
- Only has fragile units, but that’s also the cause of some of its strengths!
- Not enough anti-tank potential, your ally needs to have anti-tank cards and if your enemies have several tanks it will be hard to win!
- Has trouble against Balloons ; Lavaloon matchups are hard to handle.
Conclusion
This deck was built for 2v2 only and is clearly not a good deck for 1v1 modes. However, it is a ton of fun in 2v2, especially because of the fact that you can use any unit from your ally at your advantage easily. Your three spells should be able to help your ally a lot too, and the Hog + Freeze combo can make your opponents spend tons of Elixir and take a lot of risks.
The main card skills you need to play this deck is about mastering Hog tactics, knowing how to play the spirits, and timing the Freeze spell correctly.
I hope you will have as much fun as I have with it!
-PeakCell
Sources
Researched from the following (no links, listed for transparency):
- CryptoAIMeta card guides for these cards, built from RoyaleTracker October 2026 samples and SeeMeta 2026 balance changes
- SeeMeta, Clash Royale balance changes 2026 (page updated October 2026), read through search summaries
- Supercell official Clash Royale API, card list (elixir cost, rarity, unlock arena)
- The original clash.world page (2016 to 2024), kept in full below